1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an information providing apparatus and an information providing method. More particularly to an information providing apparatus and an information providing method which provide information inputted from the outside of a self vehicle as speech information.
2. Description of Background Art
In recent years, a system is being developed for receiving the latest information from the outside of a self vehicle through road-vehicle communication carried out between the self vehicle and an antenna installed on a road and vehicle-vehicle communication carried out between the self vehicle and another vehicle as means for providing various kinds of information to an occupant of the self vehicle. If this road-vehicle communication and the vehicle-vehicle communication are utilized, then current road regulation information or traffic signal information, position information, operation information and so forth of a different vehicle or the like can be acquired based on a real-time basis. Therefore, for example, when emergency information or the like of a higher priority rank is received, it is possible to interrupt the information provision currently proceeding and provide emergency information or the like preferentially.
In Japanese Patent No. 3923572, a navigation apparatus is disposed wherein, if, when predetermined information is being provided, information of a higher priority rank than the information being currently provided is interrupted and the priority information is provided, whereafter the information whose provision has been interrupted is provided again.
However, with the technique disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 3923572, when predetermined priority information is inputted as speech information, it is not taken into consideration in what manner the speech information being currently reproduced is to be interrupted in order to provide the priority information. In particular, it is considered that, in the case of speech information, interruption of speech being provided (reproduced) may give rise to an uncomfortable feeling, or it may become rather difficult to grasp the significance of the priority information by connection of the speech before the interruption and the speech of the priority information. Therefore, it is a significant problem in what manner speech information being currently provided is to be interrupted.